Fastener Network gets 20 times faster SAP system with Microsoft

Fastener Network group IT director Ade Jones says that Centiq achieved its breakthrough performance by optimising the existing data storage and management systems, and then migrating SAP R/3 from a Unix-Oracle platform to Windows-SQL Server with high-performance hardware. “After Centiq optimised our data storage and management, our processing speeds increased dramatically. Our SAP system transacts information up to 20 times faster than it did previously,” says Jones. “The sales team now only needs a few seconds to access data to process an order, so they’re more efficient when dealing with customers’ needs. Some reports that used to take between 30 minutes and 1 hour are now generated in a couple of minutes.” Jones says that the previous system, a six-year-old IBM RS6000-H70 Unix-Oracle system running SAP R/3 4.6b, was incapable of keeping pace with the group’s growth and had reached the limit of its processing speed. Also, the Oracle database, hampered by data storage and capability limitations from its ad hoc development, processed data at sub-optimal speeds. Centiq, which is an IT consulting and services provider focused on data centres, also upgraded and tested the group’s backup and restore function to secure the integrity of sensitive corporate information. Comments Jones: “Now that we have total control of the business, we are pleased the new IT system has a lower total cost of ownership. Centiq’s advice in migrating to Windows-SQL proved invaluable, as this is a more cost effective option, significantly easier to administer and maintain, and a more suitable platform.”